Small Spacecraft Community of Practice
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V-R3x Technology Demonstration Overview and Lessons Learned
Speaker: Anh Nguyen, NASA Ames Research Center
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
10:00AM-11:00AM Pacific Standard Time
Click here to watch the webinar.
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Please contact Julianna.L.Fishman@nasa.gov if you experience issues with the audiovisual connection to this webinar.
Abstract: Dr. Nguyen will provide an overview of the V-R3x suborbital and orbital demonstrations, highlighting valuable lessons learned.
V-R3x was the first orbital technology demonstration facilitated by the Small Spacecraft Technology program’s Payload Accelerator for CubeSat Endeavors (PACE) initiative. Launched to low-Earth orbit on January 24, 2021, V-R3x was comprised of three 1-unit (1U) CubeSats that demonstrated new technologies and techniques for radio networking and navigation. On March 12, 2021, NASA’s Flight Opportunities program supported V-R3x’s high-altitude balloon flight from Raven Aerostar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This suborbital flight enabled researchers to evaluate V-R3x’s advanced swarm communications by forming a mesh network between multiple spacecraft and ground stations.
Both of these experiments demonstrated the ability for small satellites to be in communication with each other across vast distances, maintain spatial awareness relative to each other, coordinate to collect data, and speedily share that data with each other.
The PACE initiative is designed to aggressively shorten conventional technology testing timelines. The effort links two NASA programs – Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology – efficiently connecting payloads to both suborbital and orbital flight tests that increase the likelihood of a technology being selected for a space exploration mission. PACE also works with other NASA programs like the CubeSat Launch Initiative to pave the most efficient pathway through NASA’s technology testing process.
Bio: Anh Nguyen is currently the Payload Accelerator for CubeSat Endeavors (PACE) Project Manager and has worked on a variety of CubeSats during her career at NASA Ames Research Center over the past 6 years. She has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida Precision Space Systems Lab with a focus in Dynamic Systems and Controls and is passionate in demonstrating new technologies for the next generation of small satellites.
S3VI encourages the community to submit questions before the webinar to enable more directed responses. Please send questions to raquel.l.redhouse@nasa.gov.
